Antarctica: A Hole the Size of The Netherlands Appears in the Winter Ice
“For us this ice-free area is an important new data point which we can use to validate our climate models. Its occurrence after several decades also confirms our previous calculations,” says Dr. Torge Martin, meteorologist and climate modeler in the GEOMAR Research Division “Oceans Circulation and Climate Dynamics”.
Map of the sea ice distribution around Antarctica on Sept. 25, 2017, derived from satellite data. The red circle marks the actual Weddell Polynya.
Credit: www.meereisportal.de
Aerial view of the polynya in the Southern Ocean.
Photo: Jan Lieser, ACE CRC, Australia
Nevertheless, the Weddell Polynya is reasonably well understood. “The Southern Ocean is strongly stratified. A very cold but relatively fresh water layer covers a much warmer and saltier water mass, thus acting as an insulating layer,” explains Prof. Dr. Mojib Latif, head of the Research Division at GEOMAR. Under certain conditions, the warm water of the lower layer can reach the surface and melt the ice. “This is like opening a pressure relief valve – the ocean then releases a surplus of heat to the atmosphere for several consecutive winters until the heat reservoir is exhausted,” adds Professor Latif.
Position and extent of simulated polynyas in different climate models (in red the Kiel climate model).
Credit: GEOMAR
Yet two major questions remain: how often does the polynya occur and does climate change influence this process? “If there are hardly any observations, computer models help to simulate the interactions between the ocean, the atmosphere and the sea ice,” explains Dr. Annika Reintges, first author of the most recent study by the Kiel group about this topic. The models apply fundamental physical laws to simulate climate. Real data such as the bathymetry and actual climate observations used as a starting point provide a framework in which the models run.
However, data uncertainties lead to a range of results. “Therefore, we are always trying to compare the simulations with real phenomena to improve the models. Unfortunately, many data series are too short to evaluate the simulated climate variability with periods of several decades. We therefore also compare the models with each other,” says Dr. Reintges.
Simulated temperature development in the area of the polynya. Clearly marked are the cold isolating surface layer (blue) and the warm water (red) below that releases head to the atmosphere on decadal cycles. Years with polynyas are marked by a black bar at the upper boundary.
Credit: GEOMAR
US-American scientists have calculated that the Weddell Polynya would probably not occur again because of climate change. Higher precipitation levels in the region and melting ice would decouple the surface from the deeper water layers. However, in several studies applying the “Kiel Climate Model” and other computer models, the research group in Kiel described the polynya as part of long-term natural variability, which would occur again sooner or later. “The fact that now a large, ice-free area can be observed in the Weddell Sea confirms our theory and gives us another data point for further model studies,” says Dr. Martin.
In general, the climate scientists at GEOMAR, like many colleagues around the world, are keen to differentiate natural climate variability from manmade changes. “Global warming is not a linear process and happens on top of internal variability inherent to the climate system. The better we understand these natural processes, the better we can identify the anthropogenic impact on the climate system”, resumes Professor Latif.
Contacts and sources:
Andreas Villwock / Jan SteffenHelmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel (GEOMAR)
Citation: Southern Ocean Decadal Variability and Predictability September 2017, Volume 3, Issue 3, pp 163–173| Current Climate Change Reports Citation: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s40641-017-0068-8
Latif, M., T. Martin, A. Reintges, and W. Park (2017), Southern Ocean Decadal Variability and Predictability, Current Climate Change Reports, 3(3), 163-173, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s40641-017-0068-8.
Reintges, A., T. Martin, M. Latif, and W. Park (2017), Physical controls of Southern Ocean deep-convection variability in CMIP5 models and the Kiel Climate Model, Geophys. Res. Lett., 44(13), 6951-6958, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/2017GL074087.
Martin, T., W. Park, and M. Latif (2015), Southern Ocean Forcing of the North Atlantic at Multi-centennial Time Scales in the Kiel Climate Model, Deep Sea Res. Part II, Volume 114, 39-48, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2014.01.018, contributes to special issue on “Southern Ocean Dynamics and Biogeochemistry in a Changing Climate”.
Latif, M., T. Martin, W. Park (2013), Southern Ocean Sector Centennial Climate Variability and Recent Decadal Trends, J. Climate, 26, 7767-7782, http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-12-00281.1
Martin, T., W. Park, and M. Latif (2013), Multi-Centennial Variability Controlled by Southern Ocean Convection in the Kiel Climate Model, Climate Dynamics, 40(7), 2005-2022, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00382-012-1586-7.
Source: http://www.ineffableisland.com/2017/10/antarctica-hole-size-of-netherlands.html
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The climate models have never been accurate. I would suspect an undersea volcano.
Ding Ding Ding…..tell him what he’s won Bob!
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/aug/12/scientists-discover-91-volcanos-antarctica
/prophecy/2014/06/pole-shift-of-noahs-day-about-to-happen-again-heres-the-evidence-you-decide-2461772.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2734573/Mystery-glow-Pacific-Ocean-Pilots-left-baffled-strange-orange-red-lights-spotted-dead-night.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3472768/Incredible-moment-sailors-witness-birth-island-Underwater-volcanic-eruption-creates-new-landmass-stunned-yachtsmen.html
Let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work! Time’s a wastin!
GODZILLA!
Simulated. Hey why not real and measured by humans.